


The Lady and the Tempest

by 1Syphira



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: A Sweet Escalation of Pleasure and Desire, Alternate Universe - Victorian, Bridgerton but With Lesbians, Downton Abbey but with Lesbians, F/F, Fluff Because if Hallmark Can Do It So Can Lesbians, Gentleman Jack but Supercorp if You Squint, Happy Ending Because if Jane Austen Can Do It So Can Lesbians, Intensely Requited Love, Losing Virginity but in a Surprisingly Realistic but Sweet Way, Lots of Consent Because Consent Is Sexy, Steamy, Victorian England but with lesbians, lesbian smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:34:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29251551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1Syphira/pseuds/1Syphira
Summary: When Lena Luthor's brother dies and she inherits the vast Luthor Estate, everything changes and Lena finds herself in the unwanted position as the Lady of the Estate. But when a new woman arrives at Luthor Manor, her new horse trainer, Kara Danvers, she finds herself drawn to the beautiful woman in ways she didn't know she could be drawn to anyone. As they grow closer and closer with each passing day, Lena discovers her forbidden feelings for Kara are far more than friendly, and Kara discovers the same.ORBecause Jane Austen novels would be far more interesting if they were 1,000% more gay.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 30
Kudos: 309





	The Lady and the Tempest

**Author's Note:**

> So I watched the new version of "Emma," and all I could think the entire freakin' movie was, this would be so much more interesting if Emma was gay. And so here we are. Also, not gonna lie, this was definitely inspired a bit by "Gentleman Jack" cuz that show is frickin' amazing. Also, I'm not going for total period accuracy here because that would just make them way too repressed. These are shockingly modern women in the Victorian era because sexual repression and female oppression isn't fun for me to write about. Also trying to come up with Victorian ways to say "orgasm" was amusing and frustrating all at the same time. XD  
> P.S. OC warning. Spoiler: the OCs are horses 😆😆

**The Lady and the Tempest  
**

When the Lady Lena Luthor turned the tender age of 23, she found herself sole heir to the Luthor fortune and vast Luthor estate. Her mother and father had died some years before, and her dearly departed _idiot_ of a brother Alexandre had thought it a good idea to challenge a Lord Kent of Sussex to a dual over a trivial misunderstanding. He had failed the dual quite miserably, which culminated in him bleeding to death from a stab wound. But enough of him, this story starts with Lena Luthor inheriting Luthor Manor in the lovely countryside of England. This was not a naturally tenable position for Lena. She was entirely too intelligent and well-read for the dull life of a Lady, allowed too much freedom studying in her adoring father’s library and more interested in the fascinations of the sciences than the pursuit of a suitable husband, as a Lady should have done in Queen Victoria’s England.

Unfortunately, the freedom and education she’d been permitted made her all too aware of her societal chains now that she was the Lady of the Estate. She saw the chains of expectations of behavior, her every movement being watched by the other Lords and Ladies of the land, she saw the future chains of a husband who would merely breed her which would add the infinite chains of children to her proverbial manacles. And she saw herself disappearing and suffocating under those chains until there was nothing left of her but flesh and bone, a mere shell of the former vibrant woman she had become with the freedom she’d been granted in life thus far.

And so, she spent the first full year of her new position throwing herself into the role of Lady of the Manor, and under her care the Luthor Estate flourished as it had never flourished before. The gardens never looked more vibrant and well-trimmed, the horses and stables never cleaner, the manor never better maintained. It probably helped that she completely renovated and expanded the servant’s quarters and gave all of her staff a considerable raise of their wages (a shocking move for a Luthor—her predecessors were notoriously stingy). Lena’s hope was that if she were just busy enough, just elusive enough, she would go unnoticed by the “eligible” Lords of the area and she could grow old and die in peace.

Her chains made her cold and distant with everyone but her staff, and though always polite in polite society, her disdain of her chains slowly grew to bitterness in the year after her brother died. The gossip that other Ladies of the province found so keenly interesting she always found tedious and tiresome, and she couldn’t discuss the sciences with the men because they were convinced that a woman couldn’t possibly comprehend such things—a source of constant ire for Lena.

One warm summer afternoon she found herself having a strong urge to go horseback riding to escape her thoughts for a bit, and so made her way to the stables after adorning her riding breeches and jacket. When she strode through the large stable entryway, she found her beautiful black Friesen mare, Ellie, saddled and groomed already, but she stopped in her tracks when she saw a woman holding Ellie’s bridle. Everything about what Lena looked upon was entirely out of the ordinary, starting with the fact that stablehands were always young men. For another, this woman was speaking to the horse in a lovely, soft voice, soothing her with gentle strokes on her neck and rubbing the horse’s soft nose. A sight most unusual to be sure, because of all of Lena’s horses, Ellie behaved well for no one except Lena. And then the woman turned and Lena found herself gazing at the most beautiful woman she’d ever laid eyes upon. Perhaps the most beautiful _everything_ she’d ever laid eyes upon, from the curly golden hair, deep sapphire eyes, light freckles sprinkling her face like stars, and lips designed by God himself to be kissed. The woman also had on tan riding breeches, though she wore no corset with her tunic and jacket, a sight that caused a strange fluttering in Lena’s stomach.

“W-who are you?” Lena asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. She didn’t always directly hire all her staff—that was the groundskeeper J’onn’s job—but she was surprised he hadn’t asked permission before hiring a female stablehand. It was highly unusual to say the least.

“Miss Luthor!” the blonde exclaimed, a smile far too bright and happy than it had any business being gracing her lips. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Kara Danvers.”

Lena’s brow furrowed. “You’re American. What on Earth is an American woman doing in England working as a stablehand?”

Kara laughed lightly and led Ellie forward, holding out the reins to Lena. “A fair question. I was adopted by the Danvers when I was thirteen and brought here. I can’t seem to shake the accent. Your groundskeeper is a close family friend; he gave me the job. Though technically I’m your new horse trainer, not stablehand. But your normal stablehand, Winn, is terrified of Ellie, so I gave him a break and saddled Ellie for you instead. I cannot begin to fathom why, though. Ellie is a delight.”

Lena accepted the reins and rubbed Ellie’s nose who snorted happily. “J’onn told me he’d found a new horse trainer, but I must admit I’m surprised he hired someone so young for the job. I suppose I’ll have to see your skill for myself. Saddle up Tempest, the Palomino in stall five, and ride with me today.”

“Oh, I don’t need a saddle. We can leave now if you wish; I can ride bareback,” Kara replied, her tone spoken with a confidence rarely displayed by women.

One of Lena’s eyebrows shot up, and a small smile tugged at the corners of Lena’s lips. “A bold claim, Miss Danvers. Very well. Let us ride then,” Lena said and mounted Ellie’s back in one smooth motion.

Kara fetched Tempest from her stall and brought the lovely horse out of the large stable, then mounted the horse as easily as though she had been wearing a saddle. Intrigued, Lena squeezed Ellie’s sides with her legs and off they shot like an arrow from a tightly strung bow. Lena knew Ellie and Tempest were fairly evenly matched for speed, but generally when anyone raced against Lena they lost, but not Kara. The woman rode Tempest as though she’d been born atop the back of a horse, and she could see how well Tempest reacted to Kara’s gentle commands.

What started out as what Lena assumed would be a quick ride, extended into a surprisingly fun afternoon race. They galloped through the beautiful countryside of England and through a thick forest before coming to rest at a lovely lake that Lena visited often. Kara slid off Tempest then offered her hand to the heiress. Lena was of course quite capable of dismounting her horse on her own, but she found herself accepting before she could be offended by the presumption that she needed assistance. When her feet touched the ground, she found herself standing quite intimately close to the lovely new trainer. She was even more beautiful up close, her cheeks flush from the afternoon sun and her eyes were bright with enjoyment from their race presumably.

Lena cleared her throat politely and guided Ellie to the water. “It would seem my concerns about your skill was unfounded. Where did you learn to ride like that, Miss Danvers?”

“In America, my family owned a horse ranch. I used to train wild mustangs, for as long as I can remember. When the Danvers moved me here after my parents died, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to ride any longer. I am grateful my fears were incorrect,” Kara replied, guiding Temptest to the water as well.

“I can certainly see why J’onn hired you. I’ve never seen anyone handle Tempest so well. She can be quite temperamental. I think she likes to test her rider’s will, likes to see if it matches or surpasses her own,” Lena said.

Kara ran her hand along Tempest’s powerful neck. “She certainly doesn’t suffer fools gladly,” Kara replied with a sardonic grin.

It occurred to Lena that she was ill prepared for such a long ride and hadn’t brought a meal with her. She wanted to stay out here longer with her new trainer, for she found she already liked Kara a great deal, but she was hungry and certain Kara was too.

“Come,” Lena said, pulling Ellie’s bridle. “Let us ride back and I will have us some lunch made.”

She didn’t miss the look of surprise at the offer on Kara’s face and bit back a grin. Unlike the rest of the Lords and Ladies of the country, Lena had no qualms dining with her staff nor befriending them for that matter. It was but one of the many ways she had rebelled against so-called “genteel society.”

And so, Lena set to task getting to know her new horse trainer over the next several months, and in that time, she grew terribly fond of Kara. She was impossibly kind and her smile always lit up the room like the morning sun and they always found the most fun and salacious things to discuss. Her company was far more delightful than the other Ladies of the province who only gossiped of caddy drama and mindless drivel. A great deal of the Ladies’ gossip also seemed to center around trying to find Lena a suitable man, a topic that generally made Lena want to crawl out of her skin and die. But Kara’s mind was sharp and she loved discussing topics of science, philosophy, and literature, and she always had the most remarkable insights on all topics of conversation. She was wise beyond her years, and yet still maintained her innocence and youth but without coming across as naïve or childish. If Lena could summarize Kara in a word, it would be “delightful.” In every sense of the word.

It was a cold winter afternoon, and she and Kara sat in the library together (as they had a habit of doing often) next to the fireplace, each reading a copy of _‘Sense and Sensibility’_ when Lena’s maid, Jess, brought in her mail for the day.

“And from whom do I have a letter today?” Lena asked, accepting the letter from the silver platter on which the letter was delivered.

“It’s addressed from Lord Edge of Fairfax, My Lady,” Jess replied.

Lena balked and looked at the letter with disdain. “Thank you, Jess. And I’ve told you a dozen times, you need not use that ridiculous silver platter to bring me letters.” Lena paused. “Unless you like bringing them on a platter?”

Jess’s face lit up in a large smile. “I do! I like to pretend I’m a doorman or a footman or gardener even groundskeeper sometimes. If I am feeling extremely bold, I sometimes even like to imagine myself as the Lady of the Manor.”

Lena chuckled. “Very well, deliver them on a platter if it makes you happy. I am not one to stand on ridiculous ceremony. Oh and here,” Lena added, grabbing a copy of Jules Vern’s _’20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’_ and offered it to her maid. “With that overactive imagination of yours, you’ll love this one. It’s a delicious science fiction about ships that can sail beneath the water. It’s an absolute delight.”

“Thank you, Miss Luthor!” Jess exclaimed happily and took the book, then flitted out of the room much like a butterfly might.

“Who is Lord Edge?” Kara asked, setting aside her own book with a look of concern on her beautiful face.

Lena scowled. “A brute and lout of a greedy man,” she replied, opening the letter. She scanned over it and her scowl deepened. “He will be visiting tomorrow. No doubt to demand that I marry him.”

Kara looked deeply troubled by that statement. “Do you wish to marry Lord Edge?”

One of Lena’s eyebrows rose very slowly as she looked at Kara. “I would sooner marry a goat.”

Kara burst out laughing at the admission—a sound Lena had grown to love more than almost anything else in the world. “He must be quite the cad if the fair Lady Luthor has such a thing to say of him.”

“I do not prefer the company of men,” Lena said after a moment. “Too often have they looked upon me as an object of desire, for either my fortune or my breedable hips or my beauty, and they see little else. At least the Lords I am expected to marry. My groundkeeper J’onn? He actually looks upon me as a human and treats me as such, not as cattle to be bred. As do all the men I have carefully employed since my brother’s tragic passing.”

“I too prefer the company of women,” Kara said, gazing at Lena with a tenderness that had Lena’s heart suddenly aflutter. “Especially women who know their own mind—a rare commodity in this man’s world that still refuses to properly educate women, wouldn’t you say?”

Lena chuckled scornfully. “Indeed. Thus why I insisted on teaching Jess to read. Although of course now all she does with most of her time is imagine all sorts of ridiculous fancies, but as long as she is happy and knows who she is, I suppose I cannot find fault in it.”

When Kara continued to gaze at her, Lena found herself fidgeting with her book, unsure what to do. She had a tendency to feel a burning sensation between her legs whenever Kara looked upon her like that—a look Kara gave her often.

“Have you ever wondered what it would be like to kiss a woman?” Kara asked suddenly, her voice still impossibly soft and beautiful.

The simple question lit Lena up like a wildfire at the mere idea. She’d thought of kissing men (as it was a subject that came up often in gossip circles), but the thought was never particularly appealing or exciting. Kara’s sudden suggestion, however, excited her more than she could remember being excited about anything.

“I um. . . I suppose not,” Lena replied haltingly. Then, “Have you?”

Kara seemed to come to some form of resolution after a moment’s hesitation. “Every day since meeting you,” she replied, and the gentle admission did more to warm Lena’s body than the roaring fire next to which they currently sat.

She found her breath labored as she held Kara’s gaze. “And if I should like to let you wonder no longer what kissing a woman would be like, what then would you do?”

Kara slowly rose from her armchair and sat next to Lena on the chaise.

“I would kiss you,” Kara whispered, her eyes locked on Lena’s.

In the span of about a second, Lena thought over the past few months they’d spent together, thought of all the horse rides and picnics and tea times and reading in the library and how it had all culminated so naturally and so beautifully to this very moment in time. Kara reached up and brushed her thumb along Lena’s lower lip, her eyes searching Lena’s face for signs of discomfort or resistance.

“Kara,” Lena whispered, her eyes falling to the other’s lovely pink lips, “I do not wish you to wonder any longer.”

Blessedly, Kara gleaned Lena’s meaning and she only had to wait a moment longer before Kara brushed her lips against Lena’s. The heiress’s eyes fluttered shut and her breath caught in her throat. It was the softest thing she’d ever experienced, both the kiss and Kara’s lips. What started off a delightful ghosting of lips soon transformed into something deeper, firmer, but still wonderfully soft and warm and _safe_. When Kara pulled back from the kiss, her eyes drifted open and they simply gazed at one another in comfortable silence for a time.

“Well?” Lena asked softly. “Was it worth your wondering over?”

“More than I dared dream,” Kara replied, gazing at Lena through heavily lidded eyes.

“I think I should like to kiss you again, Miss Danvers,” Lena whispered.

Kara did not hesitate in obliging the Lady Luthor.

* * *

For as long as Kara could remember, she had always been better with animals than people. Some people in her life even went so far as to say she was gifted to the point of insinuated witchcraft, but she ignored such claims. And fortunately, the world had moved beyond persecuting and hunting “witches.” Going from the free market of America to the caste system of feudal England had been quite an adjustment, and even now, years later, she still felt like a fish out of water. She’d been the maid of a few estates, but her attention span for dressing fussy Ladies of wealthy estates was much shorter than her attention span for tending to the various animals of those estates. Some of the Ladies put up with Kara’s perceived “rebelliousness,” and others fired her for it. One in particular, a Lady Andrea Rojas, liked Kara’s “rebellious” nature so much she’d tried to seduce Kara right into her bed, but Kara didn’t particularly care for the woman’s bossy, entitled attitude, and so had rejected her. Andrea didn’t particularly care for being rejected by a “lowly maid” and had let Kara go shortly thereafter. Fortunately, Kara’s family friend J’onn had taken her in and allowed her to work as his housekeeper until the horse trainer position opened and he had given her the position. She was relieved when Lena had been receptive to the idea of a female horse trainer. She was ecstatic when Lena had enthusiastically received the kiss Kara had suggested.

The memory of yesterday’s kiss (which had turned into two, and then three and then four) replayed in Kara’s mind, heating her body against the cold of the winter drizzle. She was taking Tempest for a daily walk, though after riding her bareback the day before, she decided it best to give Tempest’s back a rest and was instead walking next to her, guiding her with a bit-free bridle. After returning to Luthor Manor, she was just about to lead the Palomino to the stables when a carriage so fancy in design it bordered on the pompously grotesque pulled up and stopped before Luthor Manor. A man stepped out of the carriage after the footman opened it, a man whose wealthy entitlement oozed from every pore like pus from an infected wound. He pulled his thick wool coat closer to him and glanced around before his eyes fell upon Kara. He strode to her, probably to order her to do something (which she had no intention of doing; _he_ was not her employer), but he paused when he got a good look at her face. His scowl transformed into an arrogant, borderline lascivious smile.

“What is a beautiful creature such as yourself doing in such dreary weather? You should be inside, doing much more pleasant activities to warm human skin,” he said in what she presumed was an attempt to convince her to warm herself against his skin. She swallowed back a gag.

“Lord Edge, I presume?” she replied coolly.

“An American? How delightful! You have me at a disadvantage. You know my name, but I do not know yours,” he said, apparently undeterred by her uninterested tone.

“Kara Danvers,” she replied, intentionally not curtsying. “I am Miss Luthor’s horse trainer.”

He stepped closer to her. “A lovely name for a beautiful creature,” he said in a voice exuding confidence of a man unaccustomed to rejection.

“Beautiful creature? Oh, her name is Tempest,” Kara replied, gesturing to the Palomino, who snorted. “My name is Kara Danvers. I am terribly sorry for the confusion.”

He laughed and Kara fought off a grimace. “Amusing and humble, aren’t you a rare gem? Come, I insist you join me for dinner at Edge Manor tonight when I have concluded my business here,” he said, patting Tempest’s flank as though she was his horse to pat.

“I fear I am already courting someone, Lord Edge,” she replied carefully. She was already certain she despised this man, but she didn’t want to make any trouble for Lena.

“Ah, well who is the bloke so I may scare him off to win your affections?” he asked, taking another step uncomfortably close to her.

Kara was about to reply, but Tempest suddenly swatted him hard in the face with her tail and let out an irritated snort. He stumbled back in surprise with a most ungentlemanly curse. Kara had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. She knew already that Tempest didn’t like having her haunches touched like that, but Kara had conveniently neglected to mention that to him.

“I am so sorry, Lord Edge, she can be bit temperamental,” Kara said in a most unapologetic tone.

“Lord Edge,” a new voice said, and the two of them turned to see J’onn approaching. “Miss Luthor will see you now.”

Kara gave Lord Edge a very forced smile before guiding Tempest to the stables. After she was back in her stall and unbridled, Kara gave Tempest three extra sugar cubes. “Such a good girl, Tempest. Smacking the awful man like that. Next time you have my permission to kick him.”

A little later while she helped Winn feed the rest of the horses, Kara watched with amusement as Lord Edge stormed out of Luthor Manor and yelled at his footman to leave as he entered his carriage. When she finished feeding the horses, she made her way into the manor, grabbing a bundle of firewood as an excuse to go to Lena. She found the heiress in her study, sitting at her desk with a deep scowl on her beautiful face,and Kara was overcome with the urge to kiss it right off of her lips. Lena's frown eased significantly, however, when she looked up and saw Kara.

“Kara,” she said, rising from her desk. “Your timing is impeccable.”

“Forgive the intrusion, Miss Luthor,” Kara said quickly. She crossed to the fireplace and set a couple of the logs in it and the rest in the wood bin next to the fireplace. “I thought I would help Jess tend the fires. One could catch their death in the cold damp of England.”

Lena’s scowl now disappeared entirely, replaced with a small smile. “You need no excuse to see me, Kara. And please, call me Lena. I insist my friends call me by my name. It will make me the scandal of the countryside, but I live by my decision.”

Kara chuckled softly and moved a little closer to the brunette, taking a moment to enjoy the vision that was Lena. Unlike the fashion of the time demanded of Ladies of the countryside, she never styled it in ringlets but wore it down, her soft raven curls cascading about her shoulders most attractively. She wore a lovely green dress with a wide, square neckline which put her beautiful neck on prominent display. Much like her ponderings of kissing Lena’s lips, her mind now drifted to the thought of kissing Lena’s neck and collarbone, and the image brought a blush to her cheeks and a warmth that pooled pleasantly between her legs. “I confess, I wanted to check on you,” Kara admitted. “Lord Edge looked most displeased when he departed.”

“Did he?” Lena asked, her tone heavily suggesting she didn’t give a whit. “A pity. I had to refuse his offer of marriage on the grounds that he is a witless brute.”

Kara was unable to stop a surprised laugh from bubbling up from her throat. “An apropos description of the man, to be sure.”

“Come, have tea with me,” Lena said, gesturing to the window seat where an end table had a tea set prepared. “Jess brought it for Mister Edge and myself, but his visit was cut short. A shame to let perfectly good tea go to waste.”

Kara removed her scarf and coat and draped them over the back of one of the chairs. “Quite right.”

Though Kara was still not as enamored as England with tea, the scones and Lena’s company were divine. Lena talked of the most wonderful things, and never had Kara felt so comfortable discussing anything and everything with someone. After finishing their tea, Kara rose to go, but Lena’s hand slid on top of hers, and Kara halted.

“Kara?” Lena said, her voice soft and so, _so_ lovely.

The blonde settled back on the window seat. “Yes?”

“I should. . . I should like to kiss you again. I-if you are agreeable to the idea, of course,” Lena said, a lovely rose dusting her cheeks and she averted her eyes.

A smile consumed Kara’s face and she reached out, cupping Lena’s cheeks in her hands. “I think you will find me _most_ agreeable, Lena,” Kara replied softly.

Their lips came together again, more fully this time, surer of the action now and the receptivity of the other. Acting on a bold impulse, Kara parted her lips and cautiously swept her tongue along Lena’s upper lip. To her surprise and delight, Lena also parted her lips and allowed the intrusion with a soft whimper. The kiss deepened as their tongues entwined in a slightly hesitant but eager dance. Lena tasted of mint tea and strawberry jam and her tongue was so warm and soft and inviting that Kara was compelled to deepen it further. She dared to reach out, to place her hand on Lena’s waist, and she slid closer to Lena so the sides of their thighs were flush. She felt light-headed when her action was not only reciprocated, but taken further when Lena placed both hands on Kara’s waist and tugged her closer still. Their kiss lingered on until they were both flushed and gasping for air, and Kara at last pulled away, resting her forehead against Lena’s.

“I think your lips might drive me to obsession, Lena,” Kara whispered the confession, praying it would not scare the other.

“I think yours already have,” Lena whispered back.

Kara’s smile was wide as she brought their lips back together again in a vain attempt to satisfy this newfound obsession.

The desire to kiss Lena Luthor, it would seem, was not so easily satisfied. Kara found herself seeking out those wonderful kisses whenever and wherever she could, always carefully out of sight of others, but this hardly hindered or deterred them. They kissed on horse rides (sometimes still atop their horses) and strolls through the vast grounds of the estate, they kissed next to fireplaces of the study and library, drawing room and music room. Their kisses warmed Kara in the winter and soon winter bled into spring and the world around them bloomed, as did their kisses. As spring wore on, their kisses began to involve more of their bodies, more of their hands exploring new surfaces and curves, more closeness and a desire to alleviate the pressure and heat that pooled between Kara’s legs every time they kissed.

As a child raised by scientists who did not hold the prudish ideals of much of the Western world, Kara had been properly (if a bit clinically) educated by the Danvers on the subject of intimacy and human anatomy and how it all worked, and had taught her that it was perfectly natural to explore her own body, so long as she did it when she was not in the company of others. Growing up she had been naturally curious of her own body and had explored the simple pleasures it offered on occasion. Since starting to kiss Lena, however, she found herself needing to satisfy the pressure between her legs nearly every night. Fortunately, the staff quarters were large and newly renovated since Lena began running Luthor Manor, and all of the staff had their own private, surprisingly large rooms (much larger than any other servant’s quarters she’d ever lived in). She had never been more grateful for her own room, for it was difficult to be completely silent when she thought of her lips against Lena’s as she relieved the burning sensation between her legs.

One lovely spring day found the two of them picnicking by the lake under their favorite weeping willow tree while Tempest and Ellie snacked on some foliage nearby. After enjoying scones, apples, and cheese, the two of them were now enjoying a rather heated kiss. They were laying side by side, propped up on their elbows, when Lena suddenly grabbed the lapel of Kara’s riding jacket and pulled the blonde on top of her. Kara hissed in a surprised breath when her thigh slipped perfectly between Lena’s legs, an action made possible by the fact that they were both wearing riding breeches and not dresses.

Lena seemed unconcerned with Kara’s surprise. Indeed, she pressed her own thigh up between Kara’s legs and rolled her hips up with a soft groan that had Kara’s head swimming with desire.

“Is this okay? Are you all right?” Lena asked around their kiss, her voice ragged breathless.

“More than okay,” Kara managed to reply before plunging her tongue in Lena’s mouth.

The burning sensation between her legs magnified unbearably at the intimacy of this new position they’d never done before. Acting on pure instinct and primal desire, Kara drove her hips down, the effect of which drew a soft groan from both of them. Encouraged by the positive response, Kara did so again, and then again and again until she was rocking over Lena at a pace that while fairly leisurely, was no less feverish. They continued like this for some time, the heat building between them to the point Kara was so aroused she feared she might be unable to contain her own arrival to conclusion, but she was too far gone to care. Tearing away from Lena’s lips, she grasped at Lena’s scarf with fumbling fingers and tugged it out of the way before pressing her lips to Lena’s beautiful neck for the first time. Both of them whimpered softly in response, spurring Kara to kiss it again, and then to bite down on the tender pulse point. Lena’s hips jerked up in response, the reaction bringing Kara all the closer to conclusion.

“Kara. . .!” Lena gasped, increasing the speed of their rolling hips. “Kara, please . . .!”

Hoping she understood Lena correctly, she bit down again. It appeared to be exactly what Lena needed. Her body arched up into Kara and she let out a soft, beautiful gasping whine, the sound of which plummeted Kara into her own conclusion with a muffled groan against Lena’s neck. They continued to grind into one another until the quaking of their bodies subsided and Kara relaxed down onto Lena, both of them still panting softly as they caught their breath.

“Kara?” Lena whispered, her hands fisting the fabric of Kara’s riding jacket.

Kara lifted her head to look into Lena’s eyes and had to bite her lower lip at the sight before her. Lena’s cheeks were a beautiful rose and her eyes were dark and hooded as she gazed back at Kara.

“Are you all right?” Kara asked, tenderly stroking Lena’s cheek.

“I am. Did you. . . did you come to completion?” Lena asked, averting her gaze and her blush deepened at the question.

Kara was unable to stop a bashful grin from entering her lips. “I did. You?”

Lena nodded her head vigorously. “I didn’t know I _could_ complete that way. I usually. . . I um. . . usually I use my fingers.”

Kara’s smile widened at the sweet confession. “Me as well,” Kara admitted, pressing a soft kiss to Lena’s lips.

“I think. . . I think I should like to do this again with you in the future,” Lena said when Kara pulled back from the kiss. “I-if you would?”

Kara was fairly certain her entire being was radiating her smile. “I think I should too.”

As luck would have it, Lena appeared to want to press herself to Kara many, _many_ more times. Daily, in fact. Every time they went for a ride together it seemed to culminate in completion somewhere, often on the ground or against their favorite weeping willow, sometimes on the chaise in the library or the desk of Lena’s study. Curious hands became bolder with each union, kisses deeper, desire more pronounced. They had explored every area of each other’s bodies over their clothes save for one place, the place Kara longed to touch Lena the most.

It was a warm summer day in June, and they had just returned home from their daily ride (Kara still feeling intense heat between her thighs despite having completed when Lena had quite aggressively pushed Kara against their favorite weeping willow and ground against her until both of them came to completion quite passionately), when they saw a carriage pull up in front of Luthor Manor. As their horses trotted up, a tall, handsome man stepped out of the carriage and smiled brightly at Lena. The pleasant heat between Kara’s legs vanished most jarringly.

“Miss Luthor, how are you?” he said, offering her a gloved hand.

“Mister Olsen, what a surprise!” Lena said, smiling politely in return.

Kara felt a powerful swell of something ugly in her stomach when Lena accepted his hand and allowed him to help her off Ellie’s back. Kara dismounted Tempest and took Ellie’s reins, casting a tentative look at Lena.

“Thank you, Kara. I’ll see you for reading in the library at three?” Lena asked to Kara’s surprise. She had expected Lena to ignore her in favor of speaking with this “Mister Olsen.”

“Y-yes, My Lady,” Kara replied, casting another quick glance at him before guiding the horses in the direction of the stables. As she walked away, the dreadful feeling in her stomach roiled like a storm, threatening to make her retch. For the first time since kissing Lena, the reality that the heiress had eligible suitors (Morgan Edge didn’t register in Kara’s mind as “eligible” so he didn’t count) lined up just waiting for their chance to wed her sunk in. The thought of Lena marrying or kissing or touching or laying with a man brought with it a wave of terrible dread and anger. What if Lena said yes to one of them? It was a thought most unsettling, and one that deeply troubled her mind.

* * *

Lena sat before Mister James Olsen, after having received a perfectly reasonable and polite offer of marriage, quite unable to say yes. She liked the man well enough. He was polite and a proper gentleman but he always struck her as a little lost, like he didn’t know who he was or what to do with himself or his fortune. But more than that, the more time she spent with a certain Miss Kara Danvers, the less she wanted (even more so than usual) marriage to any man, for that would mean she could no longer do everything she’d been doing with Kara over the past several months. Unless she took Kara on as a secret lover, but that idea was hardly appealing, because in the meantime she’d still have to make love to a husband she didn’t love, and such a thought was more sickening than the thought of marriage.

“Mister Olsen,” Lena said, then softened a little when she saw the hopeful look on his face. “James. You are a wonderful, kind man, but you deserve a woman who will love and appreciate you and who can be the wife you deserve. I happen to know Miss Lucy Lane is quite fond of you; I should think your affections will be better placed with her.”

James stood abruptly and grabbed his hat and gloves from the nearby end table. “Do not patronize me, Miss Luthor. If you do not wish for my hand, then you should just say as such,” he snapped.

“James—” she tried, but cut her off with a glare.

“You may have suitors lined up now, but one day they’ll stop coming and you will lose all that beauty and you will wither and fade until you’re naught but a miserable old spinster wandering your mansion alone with no husband and children to warm you,” he said in what could only be described as a condescending growl.

Lena rose from her seat but didn’t try to stop him or have the last word as he stormed from the room. Although his words were offensive and intended to be hurtful, they did not make her feel fear that they might come to pass. The idea of being a spinstress was quite more bearable than the idea of marrying a man she did not love, and even worse, bearing his children. The more she thought about it, the more she realized she didn’t want to marry any man, for that would mean she could no longer kiss Kara or press herself into her and experience blissful pleasure with her, or kiss that beautiful neck, or touch those strong arms and soft breasts.

“My Lady?” Jess squeaked from the door, looking at Lena with deep concern.

“I am quite all right, Jess,” Lena said, waving her maid off. “You may leave the tea.”

When Kara arrived for their usual three o’clock library rendezvous, Lena was far too irritable to read, so she set up one of her elegant chess sets instead. Kara had never played, so Lena took great delight in teaching her, and Kara proved to be quite a sharp and eager student. Lena so thoroughly enjoyed herself that she didn’t notice night had fallen until Kara rose from her seat and began lighting the lanterns in the room. Right about then, Jess returned with a stack of wood and stoked the fire.

“Jess, I would like to sup in here tonight with Kara. When you have brought us dinner, you may take the rest of the evening off,” Lena said with a smile.

“Really? I-I mean, thank you, My Lady! You will not be needing assistance into your nightdress?” Jess asked.

“I think I can manage,” Lena assured her. “Riding breeches are much easier to get out of than dresses.”

“Thank you, My Lady,” Jess said before leaving to bring them supper.

As they ate, Lena taught Kara Backgammon, then afterwards returned to chess so Lena could teach her the more complicated strategies of chess. She was having such a lovely time with Kara, she didn’t realize how late it was until the grandfather clock struck midnight.

“Good lord, I didn’t realize it was so late!” Lena said, rising from her lounge chair. “I hope it’s not too much trouble to ask. . . will you walk me to my room? I hate walking these drafty halls alone at night, especially when it’s cold.”

“Of course,” Kara said with a warm, obliging smile.

The wing where Lena’s room rested was dark and quiet save for a few gas lamps on the walls which always burned at night. They came to Lena’s bedroom door and she stopped in front of it, her nerves suddenly on edge and her stomach felt as though a swarm of butterflies had taken up residence there.

“Kara?”

A soft smile teased the corners of the blonde’s lips. “Yes?”

Lena fidgeted with her fingers and worried her lower lip. She desperately wanted to invite Kara in, but she didn’t know how to make her intentions clear. She longed to press herself against Kara, but without the barrier of clothing, then she wanted to fall asleep in her arms and wake up with her in the morning. After too much deliberation on the matter, she lost her nerve for words, so she instead surged forward and kissed Kara, praying her meaning would somehow become clear.

Kara seemed to glean at least part of Lena’s intent, for within a few moments of a very heated, wet kiss, Lena suddenly found herself pinned against the door with Kara’s thigh pressed between legs. Lena had adored their coming together like this over the past few months, and although she always came to completion, completing like this always left her yearning for more. So much so, she’d been bringing herself to completion almost every night since beginning, sometimes several times a night. She felt afflicted by desire, it was driving her to distraction, consuming her with an unfulfilled need.

“Kara. . .!” she gasped out, trying to find the willpower to stop grinding herself against Kara’s thigh long enough to invite her in, but it felt so good it was making it difficult to focus.

“Lena,” Kara murmured as she kissed her way to Lena’s neck. “God, Lena. . . I want. . . I want to touch you.”

Lena could have cried from sheer relief that Kara had brought it up. She fumbled for the doorknob and both of them stumbled inside. The room was lit only with a crackling fire that Jess must have lit, warming the room and casting dancing shadows across the bed. Lena tore away from Kara’s lips only so she could flip the lock before grabbing the fabric of Kara’s shirt and pulled her into another bruising kiss. Trembling hands and inexperienced fingers fumbled with buttons and fabric as they moved clumsily to the edge of the bed. What they lacked in experience they made up for in impatient enthusiasm, and their shirts were unbuttoned before Lena finally slowed. She desperately wanted to get Kara out of her clothes, but she also wanted to cherish and savor this moment.

Lena pushed Kara’s shirt off her shoulders before setting to work unlacing Kara’s corset. Kara followed suit, leaning forward to brush her lips along Lena’s now bare shoulder. “God, Lena, I’ve thought of this so often. Please. . . can I kiss you. . . everywhere?”

“Yes,” Lena gasped out as Kara’s lips kissed up to her neck, then back down to her other shoulder. Both of them whimpered softly when their corsets at last fell to the floor and they pressed their naked breasts together for the first time. Lena ran her fingers up the newly exposed flesh of Kara’s strong, toned back, taking advantage of the closeness to kiss the bare skin of Kara’s neck.

Lena’s impatience to lay on the bed together overruled her desire to go slowly as her desire pooled heavily between her legs. She wriggled out of her riding breeches and Kara followed suit, pulling their undergarments off with them. No sooner had the fabric fallen to their ankles then Lena was pulling Kara onto the bed. Their bodies slotted together naturally, as they had many times before, but this time it was all new without layers of clothes separating them. Lena felt intoxicated, drunk on Kara as the blonde’s thigh pressed between Lena’s legs once again. The bareness of Kara’s thigh against Lena’s aching sex was almost enough to convince her to let Kara bring her to completion this way if she weren’t yearning so powerfully for Kara’s touch. Kara captured her lips in a searing kiss for only a few precious moments before her lips were kissing back down Lena’s neck and heaving bosom. Her breath quickened further as Kara trailed her lips down and took one of the hardened peaks of Lena’s breast into her mouth. Lena arched up into Kara with a soft gasp that quickly turned into a series of breathless groans as the blonde’s clever tongue worked Lena’s body up into a feverish ache all focused almost painfully between her legs.

“Kara. . . touch me, please, _please_ ,” Lena beseeched, her hips rolling against Kara’s thigh seemingly of their own accord.

Mercifully, Kara didn’t keep her waiting any longer, as if she too had been waiting for just that permission. She shifted back up Lena’s body and gazed down at her as her hand descended the brunette’s body. Both of them held their breath as Kara’s fingertips brushed over Lena’s swollen, aching arousal for the first time, then both of them cried out from the sheer, beautiful intimacy of the act. Kara’s touch was hesitant at first, curious and gentle as she watched Lena’s face for her every reaction, and soon, when Kara discovered that Lena was particularly reactive to sweeping circles, she focused in on that motion with deadly precision. Lena writhed beneath Kara, unable to stop endless soft cries from tumbling from her lips, and she clung to Kara’s shoulders, digging her fingertips in with every sweep of Kara’s fingers over her aching bundle of nerves. Lena tried in vain to battle off the finality building within her, wanting desperately to make this moment last, but her body was in disagreement.

“Kara. . .!” she gasped out, her fingernails now raking down Kara’s back as she edged closer and closer to finality. “Kara. . . I’m . . . oh god, Kara I’m . . .!”

Further words were stolen from her as completion cascaded through her, all of it magnified a hundredfold by the fact that it had been Kara’s _touch_ that had brought her to this, that it was _Kara_ who gave her this. Even as her body began relaxing, Kara moved her fingers lower, and when they slid into the wetness pooled at Lena’s entrance, the blonde’s head fell forward into Lena’s neck with a soft cry.

“Lena. . . _god_ , Lena. . .” she gasped out. “Please. . . can I be inside you?”

“Yes. God yes. . .”

She felt and heard Kara’s breath quicken further as she slowly entered her with a single finger, and Lena’s head swam with desire and love and an overwhelming craving and deep yearning for Kara all at once. The soft whimpering groans Kara let out as she pressed deeper into her drove Lena to distraction from the beauty of reducing Kara to this, from knowing it was her body that was bringing Kara such bliss.

“Lena. . . god, I’m _inside_ you, Lena. . .” she breathed, bringing her free arm under Lena’s shoulders to cradle her even closer.

Lena could take it no longer. She had to know what Kara was feeling, she had to claim Kara as she was being claimed. She pushed Kara to her side and propped herself on her elbow as well, then slid her hand down between Kara’s legs. A string of lovely, soft groans spilled from Kara’s lips as Lena experimented with different motions, and before long she discovered the pleasure Kara needed to begin her climb to conclusion (aided by the soft “yes”es that spilled from Kara’s lips every time Lena found just the right movement). Soon their cheeks were pressed together, both of them panting in unison as they gave each other exquisite and delicate pleasure to each other.

Even as Lena began climbing to the edge again, her inner walls ached for more of Kara, more fullness, more everything. She spread her legs wider, far too aroused to feel ashamed of the libidinous action, clutching at the sheets with her free hand. “Please, Kara,” she gasped. “Please. . . more, one more, please. . .!”

Kara quickly obeyed, partially withdrawing one so that she could add a second finger, then continued swirling inside Lena’s wet walls. When Kara curled those wonderful fingers inside her and began nudging a particularly sensitive spot inside her with each thrust, Lena felt as she might go mad from the divine pleasure of it all.

“Kara. . .!” she gasped, her groans raising in pitch on every exhale as she drew nearer and nearer to completion. This seemed to trigger something deep within Kara, and their bodies tensed then fell together in unison into bliss, the sounds of ecstasy breached filling the air around them as their bodies shuddered uncontrollably through completion together. As Kara quaked through the aftershocks, Lena slid her fingers lower to feel the evidence of Kara’s desire, then slipped a finger inside to catch the last of Kara’s finality, to feel her beautiful inner walls flutter around her. She exhaled a soft whimper, suddenly more sympathetic to Kara’s overwhelmed reaction earlier.

“Kara,” Lena breathed, nuzzling deeper into her. “Oh Kara, you are _so_ exquisite. . .”

“Lena?” Kara whispered after a few moments of breathless silence.

“Hmm?” Lena asked, compelled to trail her lips along Kara’s jawline and down to her neck.

“I would like to do this again,” Kara whispered.

Lena let out a low, happy hum. “I would too.”

* * *

Kara woke the next morning to the entirely new sensation of being wrapped around the naked body of a Miss Lena Luthor. Kara was a little amazed she woke up at all after all the times they’d made love the night before. The memory resurfaced like a beautiful dream and Kara nuzzled deeper into Lena, inhaling her like the air she breathed. She’d read enough Jane Austen novels to know that what she felt for Lena was not a “friendly” or “sisterly” love. What she felt for Lena was what Mr. Darcey felt for Elizabeth or what Colonel Brandon felt for Marianne. This was not a friendly or passing fancy she felt for Lena, it was deep and profound and made her heart ache with happiness but also a growing fear of losing her. She had no idea how she was going to keep Lena, considering she wasn’t a man, but she also couldn’t seem to stop herself from doing everything they’d been doing over the last several months. She longed for Lena, yearned for her in ways she didn’t know she could yearn for someone, she wanted to make her happy and proud and _complete_.

Lena stirred and rolled over, slowly opening sleep-heavy eyes to gaze at Kara. The blonde’s breath caught in her throat as it always seemed to do when those incredible jade eyes looked upon her. Lena reached up and stroked Kara’s cheek, a soft smile warming her lips.

“Good morning, Miss Danvers,” she said, her voice rough with sleep but her tone playful.

Kara grinned. “Good morning, Miss Luthor.”

“Kara. . . how would you . . . would you. . .” Lena tried but kept faltering. She took a deep breath and started again. “I think I should like it if you slept here with me. Every night. I-if you. . .?”

“I would like that very much, Lena,” Kara answered before Lena could worry too much about any chance of rejection.

Lena’s face broke out in a beautiful smile and she leaned forward to press a soft kiss to Kara’s lips. When she pulled back, Kara saw a shift in Lena’s eyes, a beautiful hunger entered them and she suddenly rolled on top of Kara. “I’m going to make love to you now, Kara Danvers. Do you object?”

Kara’s response was somewhere between a giggle and a groan as Lena reached down and lovingly stroked her between the apex of her thighs.

“There will never be a time when I will object to you making love to me, Lena Luthor.”

In the next several months that followed, Kara was true to her word, and it was a good thing, too, because Lena was apparently insatiable in her appetite for Kara. It was also a good thing that Jess wasn’t a particularly nosy maid (or the other servants for that matter, which Kara suspected had a lot to do with how generously Lena paid her staff [including herself which was more than any horse trainer in all of England]), because they had a tendency to come together often in the library and the study, touching with eager hands, kissing with eager lips. They grew bolder with their requests for different positions, more comfortable as trust naturally deepened between them, more flirtatious with their demands riddled with delicious innuendo.

One cool autumn afternoon, after a fit of inspiration brought on by Lena flirting with Kara so much she simply couldn’t stop herself, Kara bent Lena over the desk in the study, pushed Lena’s dress up and undergarments down, and entered her slick wet walls from behind with two fingers. Kara pressed her breasts against Lena’s back as she pumped her fingers into the heiress and nibbled the back of Lena’s earlobe.

“If I didn’t know any better, Miss Luthor, I’d say you’ve been wanting me to do this to you for quite some time, if the delightful mess between your legs is any indication,” Kara purred, encouraged by the helpless whimpers spilling from Lena’s lips.

“You have no idea,” Lena gasped, arching her back when Kara twisted her fingers. “One more, oh god please one more, Kara!”

Kara hummed a soft chuckle. “Miss Luthor, you _sinful_ thing, you,” Kara teased, her tone rich and seductive as she eased a third finger inside the beautiful heiress.

“Kara. . .!” Lena panted as Kara increased the speed of her thrusting fingers.

“Touch yourself,” Kara whispered, something they’d both asked each other to do quite a number of times, and it was one of Kara’s personal favorite requests. There was something incredibly intoxicating about watching Lena pleasure herself, and the opportunity was simply too good to let pass.

Both of them groaned at the command, and Kara felt light headed when Lena obeyed it without hesitation, adjusting on the desk so she could begin stimulating the bundle of nerves between her legs. Lena buried her face in the crook of her elbow of her other arm in embarrassment, but it didn’t stop her from quite enthusiastically touching herself.

“God, you’re so beautiful, Lena,” Kara whimpered when Lena began groaning on every exhale as she drew nearer to completion.

The sight before her was causing such a terrible and delicious ache between her own legs, Kara had to relieve herself before she went mad with it. Straightening back up, she shoved her riding breeches and undergarments down to her ankles, then pressed her wet, naked sex to Lena’s bare bottom. She ground roughly against it while continuing to pump into Lena with her fingers and within moments Lena’s backside was soaked with Kara’s arousal.

“Oh god, Kara. . .!” Lena groaned, rolling her pelvis up to give Kara even better access and stimulation to her burning, swollen sex.

“Lena. . .” Kara panted, her entire being overcome with lust at the incredibly beautiful and debauched sight before her. “God, Lena, I’m going to come. . .!” she managed to gasp out, even as completion began building within the pit of her stomach.

“Please. . . oh god please come on me Kara. . .!” Lena panted, her voice ragged and breathless as her trembling fingers vigorously stimulated her own sex.

Kara’s body obeyed the plea the moment the words spilled from Lena’s lips. Completion overtook her, making her see white, and a second followed on the heels of the last when she felt Lena’s inner walls flutter around her fingers as she arrived to completion with Kara. They rode the final waves of pleasure until they could take no more, and Kara collapsed down on top of Lena, both their chests heaving and breathless as they lay slumped over Lena’s desk.

“Lena. . .” Kara breathed, kissing the back of her bare shoulder. “God, Lena, I love you so much.”

It took several moments for her to realize she’d never said that to Lena, and Lena seemed to realize it at the same moment. The brunette tensed beneath her.

“You. . . you love me?” Lena asked barely above a whisper.

Kara suddenly felt guilty that she’d given such a confession after making love to her in such a way. It didn’t feel right and Lena’s reaction had fear settling in the pit of Kara’s stomach like a lump of coal.

“I—” she started to answer but was cut off by a soft knock on the study door.

Both of them scrambled off the desk and the following few seconds was a mad dash of fumbling and pulling undergarments back up, straightening fabric, and Kara tucked her shirt back into her breeches as quickly as she could. Lena sat down at her desk and Kara rushed to the window seat, grabbing a book and pretended to read it.

Lena cleared her throat. “Come in,” she called out.

The door opened and Jess poked her head in, looking cautiously at the two of them. “Forgive the intrusion, My Lady,” Jess squeaked. “But Lord Spheer’s carriage just arrived.”

Lena’s eyes widened in what Kara hoped was dread and not pleasant surprise. “Oh god. . . I completely forgot he was visiting today. Have some tea brought to the drawing room, I’ll meet him there in a few minutes.”

“Yes, Miss Luthor,” Jess said and closed the door behind her.

“Who is Lord Spheer?” Kara asked cautiously.

Lena sighed heavily, adjusting her bodice which was still slightly askew. “A dear friend of mine. We’ve known each other for many years, we practically grew up together.”

Kara worried her lower lip for a few moments before asking a question she’d been fearing every time an eligible lord of the land showed up with an offer of marriage. “Do you love him?”

Lena studied Kara’s face for several moments, her expression unreadable. “I care deeply for him. He’s a good man, the best man I know. He was my best friend growing up. So . . . yes. I suppose I do love him.”

Kara nodded, her teeth grinding together of their own accord. “Forgive me, it is none of my business.” She rose stiffly from the window seat and strode to the door.

“Where are you going?” Lena asked, her face concerned as she rose from her seat as well.

“To get out of the way. I’m going to take Tempest for a ride.”

Kara heard Lena say something, but she could no longer see or hear anything beyond the floor beneath her feet and the pounding of her heart in her ears. She may be hopelessly in love with Lena and would do anything for her, but that didn’t mean she had to stay and watch as Lena was stolen away from her by a man who could surely never love Lena as Kara did.

* * *

Lena moved to follow Kara but then remembered Mister Spheer was still waiting for her in the drawing room. She straightened her hair and dress one last time before heading to the other room, trying desperately to ignore the fact that her entire body was trembling in anxiety of Kara’s sudden and worrisome departure. She entered the drawing room and forced herself to smile at him as he rose quickly from his chair.

“Miss Luthor, hello! How are you?” he asked with a warm smile.

She walked to him and offered him her hand which he kissed politely. Lena blushed deeply when she realized the fingers of that very hand he was kissing had been inside Kara that very morning after waking. She pulled her hand back and rang her fingers anxiously.

“It’s good to see you, too. Please, have a seat,” she offered, sitting on the chaise across from the chair on which he’d been sitting a moment before.

Once she was seated, he lowered himself down and she took a moment to look over his handsome, kind face. By all accounts she knew she should be attracted to him, to want him, and she knew of all her suitors, he was by far her favorite. But when she compared him to Kara, when she thought of doing with him what she’d been doing with Kara for the past several months, she felt mildly nauseous. The feeling brought with it remarkable clarity. She didn’t want him because the thought of being with anyone other than Kara Danvers made her ill. She was in love with Kara Danvers.

“Lena, will you—”

“I can’t marry you, Jack.”

Both of them stopped and stared at each other for several moments. “Pardon?” he blurted out.

“Pardon?” she echoed

“I . . I’m not here to propose, Lena,” he said with a look of confusion. “Well. . . not a marriage proposal, anyway. I’m here to offer you a business proposal. You’re an incredibly savvy business woman and I’d like to work with you.”

“Oh,” Lena said, exhaling a sigh of relief. “So all those years of our parents trying to convince us we were a perfect pair didn’t work?”

He chuckled. “I suppose not. I fear I have fallen in love with a woman I cannot marry, for if I did, I would be disinherited.”

Lena tilted her head. “Oh? Why can you not marry her?”

“She is of a lower caste. My parents would never allow it,” he replied, his face troubled and sorrowful.

Lena was silent for several long moments, worrying her lower lip all the while. “I, too, love someone I cannot marry,” she admitted softly.

It was his turn to tilt his head in curiosity. “I bet I have you beat on the forbidden love front.”

“I bet you don’t,” Lena replied with a wry smile.

The curiosity on his face deepened. “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours?”

“You first,” she countered.

Now it was his turn to hesitate. “Do you promise to be my secret keeper if I tell you?”

“Only if you promise the same,” Lena answered.

He chuckled again. “Well aren’t we a pair of mysterious little cats. All right. I am in love with a woman society doesn’t recognize as a woman. But she is, she _is_ , she’s the most wonderful woman I’ve ever met.”

Lena pondered his words for several moments. “Society doesn’t recognize her as a woman? Was she born. . . a man?”

He scowled at her choice of words. “She was born sexually male, but she is not a ‘male.’ She is a woman.”

Lena nodded slowly. She certainly wasn’t expecting him to tell her that. It was freeing to have someone in whom she could confide her feelings for Kara safely. “I suppose we are even, then. I, too, am in love with a woman.”

He was silent for a stunned moment, then he burst out laughing. “Well aren’t we just the queerest of pairs! This is the best news I’ve heard in years!”

Lena laughed softly with him. After a moment, she was struck with a sudden idea. “I think I may have a solution to both our problems, Mister Spheer. Neither of us wishes to marry, but our parents, and well, society, wants us to marry. What if we make a promise to one another; a promise that if the gossip somehow leeks out about the specifics of our relationships with our respective lovers, and that if it should ever get to the point of endangering any of us, you and I shall marry, and the four of us can move in together at Luthor Manor? I’d suggest your estate, but it is smaller than Luthor Manor,” she added with a grin.

“Admit it, you just want to live as far as you can from my parents,” he said with a playful chuckle.

Lena snorted. “You’re not wrong.”

“What will we do when they inevitably badger us to have children?” he asked.

“Just tell them we didn’t know until after we wed that I am baren,” Lena replied with a shrug.

“Are you sure? Women around here can be rather cruel about that topic,” he said, his brow furrowing in concern.

“Always so chivalrous,” she smiled. “Do not concern yourself with me, old friend. I can handle a little inane gossip, even from those of vicious tongues. If it means I can be with the woman I love, and you can be with the woman you love, it is a small price to pay.”

“Splendid!” he said with a bright smile. “So what is her name?”

“Kara Danvers, an American,” Lena replied with a shy smile. “Yours?”

“Miss Nia Nal,” he answered, smiling as well.

“Splendid indeed,” Lena chuckled. “Now. What is this business proposal of yours?”

* * *

Kara lost track of time and space and reason for that matter. The possibility of a man coming along to steal Lena away from her had always been a very real risk, was always present, but it hadn’t stopped her from bedding Lena day after _glorious_ day, or falling more and more in love with her with each passing month.

Kara started crying again, though she was so wet from the autumn drizzle soaking her through to her bones it made no difference to her face. Tempest snorted unhappily and shook water from her head for the umpteenth time on her ride. Kara knew she should turn around, if only for Tempest’s sake, but she didn’t know how she would find the strength to face the sight of Luthor Manor. What if she went back and found Lena engaged to Lord Spheer? And if not him, what about the next suitor? Or the next?

It wasn’t until Kara’s entire body started to tremble uncontrollably from the cold that she at last turned around, though more because she felt sorry for Tempest who was snorting unhappily. She didn’t ever want to return, but Tempest wasn’t her horse and she’d rather die than take anything from Lena that wasn’t explicitly given.

Dark had long fallen before she finally saw the lights of Luthor Manor and a deep numbness settled painfully over her body, both from the cold and from fear. She guided Tempest to the stable and with no small amount of difficulty removed Tempest’s saddle and bridle with frozen fingers. She then fed her before making her way towards the servant’s entrance in hopes of avoiding Lena. No sooner had she stepped out of the stable, however, then she suddenly found herself face to face with her.

“Kara! Where have you been? I’ve been so worried!” Lena gushed, clasping Kara’s hand. “Oh Kara, you’re freezing! Come inside, Jess lit a lovely fire in my room. You’ll catch your death out here.”

Kara tried to protest, to pull away from Lena, but she was so cold the only movement her jaw was capable of was to make her teeth chatter violently. She clenched them together in attempt to make it stop, refusing to show weakness, despite the fact that she’d never felt more vulnerable in her life. They entered Lena’s room a few minutes later to find Jess tending the fire and she squeaked in surprise when she saw the state Kara was in.

“M-Miss Danvers! Are you all right?” Jess exclaimed.

“Put a kettle on and fetch me some towels,” Lena commanded but gently to her concerned maid.

“Yes, Miss Luthor,” Jess said and hurried from the room.

Lena tugged Kara to the fire, and despite the chill of her body, the warmth of Lena’s hand permeated through her skin, almost enough to make her fear dissipate. Almost.

“Kara, you need to get out of these wet clothes,” Lena said softly, reaching for Kara’s drenched riding jacket.

Kara felt numb, _so_ numb to everything, and yet Lena’s voice and soft, persistent fingers tugging at her wet clothes was trying to spark something in her that’s she’d been battling against since the arrival of Lord Spheer at Luthor Manor. It wasn’t until her boots and socks had been lovingly removed and Lena reached for the belt of Kara’s riding breeches that Kara snapped out of her numb state. She grasped Lena’s wrist and stopped the brunette from touching the belt, finally finding her voice just as Jess returned with towels and a tray of tea.

“I can’t do this anymore, Lena. I can’t. I _can’t_ ,” she repeated, her voice growing softer each time until she was whispering and shaking with sobs.

Lena’s eyes widened for a moment then she turned and grabbed the towels from Jess.

“Thank you, Jess. That will be all for the night,” Lena said to her maid.

“Yes, Miss Luthor,” Jess replied, setting the tea on an end table before seeing herself out.

Lena locked the door after Jess left then crossed back to Kara. “Kara, what—?”

“I can’t, Lena,” Kara said again, sinking down onto the large, soft rug in front of the blazing fire. The heat of it on her frigid skin was painful but she could focus on nothing other than her all-consuming fear. “I can’t keep feeling this way. Loving you, _making_ love to you, but just waiting for the accursed day you marry,” she said all at once. “I am so hopelessly in love with you, Lena, and it consumes me, it is tearing me apart from the inside out.”

Lena knelt down in front of Kara, her beautiful green eyes filled with concern. “Jack didn’t propose marriage, Kara. He came with a business venture proposal.”

“If not him, then the next!” Kara shot back, closing her eyes so she didn’t have to keep looking upon the woman she loved. “Or the next one after that. But they’ll keep coming, and one of them will win your heart, and then you’ll be gone, you’ll be _gone_. . .”

“One of my suitors has already won my heart, Kara,” Lena said softly.

Kara let out a strangled sort of sob and buried her face in her hands. She shook her head, hating herself for the jealousy she felt, but she couldn’t fight it even if she tried. “No. No. Don’t do this to me. _Please_ , Lena, _please,_ please. . .”

“Kara, it’s you.”

Somewhere in the midst of the roiling turmoil, Kara felt as though she’d suddenly stepped into the eye of the storm. She couldn’t bring herself to ask Lena to clarify; she was too terrified and filled with crippling hope all at the same time.

Gentle arms suddenly closed around Kara’s shoulders and Lena pressed her cheek to Kara’s temple. “It’s you, Kara, it’s you,” Lena repeated in a whisper, tightening her arms around her. “from the moment we met, it was you. I’m in love with you, Kara. There is no one else, how could there be? How could there be when all I can see is you, when all I can think of is you, when you are the very air I breathe?”

Kara’s heart was pounding in her chest, making it difficult to breathe properly. Had she really heard Lena correctly? Did Lena Luthor just say she was in love with her? Slowly, _slowly_ , she reached out and grasped at the fabric of Lena’s dress, clutching it in her fists and buried her head in Lena’s shoulder. “You’re in love with me?” she whispered, barely daring to ask at all.

“I’m in love with you,” Lena breathed, kissing Kara’s temple. “And as luck would have it, Jack, too, is in love with someone he cannot marry. Which is why we decided, should we ever find ourselves in need of a marriage of convenience, that we would marry for the sake of appearances.”

That finally made Kara look at Lena. “ _What_?”

Lena explained her earlier discussion with Lord Spheer, explaining the finer details of the woman with whom he was in love, and by the end of it, the awful tightness in Kara’s chest, the sick feeling in her stomach, had at last subsided.

“So you. . . you do not wish to marry a man . . . ever? At some point?” Kara asked carefully.

“I wish only to spend my days and nights with you for the rest of my life, Kara,” Lena replied, reaching up to stroke Kara’s cheek with her thumb. The look on Lena’s face would have brought Kara to her knees had she been standing. She looked _so_ beautiful in the firelight, beautiful and young and in love. And god. . . Lena Luthor was in love with _her_.

“I love you, Lena. I’m _in love_ with you. I love you, I love you. . .” Kara repeated over and over, until further confession was cut short when their lips collided, their desire to come together no longer able to be denied. Kara could have cried and laughed from all the overwhelming happiness she felt, but Lena’s persistent hands were stripping her from her wet clothes, and her yearning for Lena superseded any need for further tears.

As Kara wriggled out of her breeches, Lena lifted her own dress over her head and rid herself of her undergarments with remarkable swiftness before pushing Kara back onto the rug beneath them and laid down on top of her. Lena hissed in a soft breath when their bare skin came together.

“You’re so cold, my love,” Lena said, her voice filled with worry.

Far too distracted by Lena’s naked body to be concerned with body temperature, Kara lifted her thigh from the floor and pressed it between Lena’s legs, groaning softly at the feel of Lena’s naked sex against her bare skin. Lena ground her hips down and claimed Kara’s lips once again, bringing her own thigh between Kara’s legs in one smooth motion. Lena began rocking over Kara, pressing into her as they had so many times before, their kiss becoming messy and desperate as they ground into one another. Lena’s body writhing against her own did far more to heat Kara’s chilled skin than the blazing fire next to them. She surrendered herself to Lena’s affections, lost herself in Lena’s fiery kisses and hot skin. As the heat between intensified and she began climbing toward inevitability, Lena suddenly tore away from their kiss and began burning a trail down Kara’s neck and chest with her lips, then down to her breasts.

“Kara?” Lena breathed, taking one of Kara’s stiffened peaks into her mouth, swirling her tongue around it.

Kara was only able to answer with a strangled whimper, arching up into Lena’s mouth.

Lena lavished her breasts with her mouth for several long moments before kissing her way down Kara’s stomach. “Can I. . . can I taste you. . . here?” she asked haltingly, indicating where she’d like to taste Kara by teasing Kara’s wet, swollen entrance with her fingertips.

Both of them shuddered at the touch. “Yes. God yes. . .” Kara gasped out.

“God, you’re so wet for me, Kara,” Lena groaned as her curious fingers explored Kara’s entrance. She slid further down Kara’s body and settled between the blonde’s legs, and Kara obligingly spread them further open for Lena. Lena’s eyes widened in reverent awe at the sight, and Kara watched in awe of her own as Lena’s eyes darkened as she gazed at Kara’s sex through heavily lidded eyes. “So beautiful,” Lena breathed, “oh Kara, you’re _so_ beautiful. . .”

When Lena took her into her mouth, when she sealed her lips around Kara’s swollen, throbbing arousal, Kara was sure she experienced what heaven must feel like in that moment. Lena’s lips and tongue quickly reduced Kara to a creature of pure sensation and desire, lost in the incredible beauty of Lena’s face between her legs giving her pleasure so acute it was already threatening to push her over the edge.

The sight proved too much for Kara. She propped herself up on her elbow and slid her other hand behind Lena’s head, tangling her fingers in the hair at the base of Lena’s neck and began grinding herself roughly against Lena’s face, far beyond the ability to control herself. Lena groaned against her, adjusting so she could grasp Kara’s hips in order to keep up with Kara’s bucking hips.

“Is this okay?” Kara panted, her care for Lena’s comfort managing to override her desperate need.

“Yes,” Lena gasped out before taking Kara back into her mouth.

Lena set to task devouring Kara, reducing her to a beautiful, writhing, groaning mess, and the more Lena’s clever lips sucked on her swollen arousal, the more unbridled Kara’s groans of pleasure became. Something in Kara snapped, some tether holding her back unleashed. Lifting her hips from the ground, she bucked wildly against Lena’s face, the sight of Lena pleasuring her this way causing a fire to spark in the pit of her stomach that grew until her entire body was aflame. Just as her body tensed when she reached the edge of ecstasy and her fingers clenched around Lena’s hair, Lena suddenly dipped her head lower and plunged her tongue inside Kara.

“Lena!” Kara screamed out, falling back onto the rug, her back arching as her hips continued to rock into Lena’s face, and her inner walls fluttered wildly around Lena’s tongue. Lena held her as her quaking shudders at last slowed and she eased back onto the floor, her bosom heaving but her body otherwise limp. Lena slowly withdrew her tongue, taking the opportunity to lap up the mess created between Kara’s legs.

“I love you,” Lena murmured against Kara’s sex, placing soft kisses there and on Kara’s inner thighs. “I love you so much, Kara Danvers.”

Kara tugged at the back of Lena’s head when she could move again, urging her lover to climb back up and settle over her once again. Kara closed her arms around Lena as she fused their lips together again, and Kara groaned low and deep when she tasted herself on Lena’s lips and tongue. She licked hungrily into Lena’s mouth, wanting to taste the evidence of their love on her tongue, wanting to memorize this moment, to consume Lena and claim Lena in ways she’d never wanted to claim anyone.

Kara rolled Lena beneath her, kissing her way to Lena’s neck and latched on with a harsh bite. “I love you, Lena Luthor,” she murmured against Lena’s skin.

Lena trailed her fingers down Kara’s back, causing the blonde to shudder. “Are you warm now, my darling?”

A soft smirk teased Kara’s lips as she kissed her way to Lena’s breasts. “I think you have quite thoroughly warmed every inch of me, Miss Luthor.”

Lena hissed in a soft breath when Kara’s mouth sealed around one of her taught breasts. “Kara?” she asked, her voice ragged and breathless and _so_ beautiful.

“Hmm?” Kara asked, kissing her way to the other breast now.

“I think I want to spend my life with you. In fact, I think I should like that very much.”

Kara looked up and smiled, so much love filling her heart she feared it might burst from her chest. “Then I am yours, Lena Luthor. Now and always.”

* * *

**Epilogue**

Miss Jess Soto loved her job and adored her boss. Miss Lena Luthor wasn’t like the other Ladies she’d served. For one, no one paid better, and for another, no one had bigger or better maintained living accommodations, and she asked very little of Jess for the amount she paid her. Miss Luthor wasn’t one to stand on ceremony and so didn’t tend to change a hundred times a day as was annoyingly common for the Ladies of the countryside, and Lena loathed the hair fashions of the countryside and so required quite simple assistance with styling Lena’s hair. Jess’s main jobs were tending the fires in the winter and the usual cleaning of the manor. Outside of that, she could come and go as she pleased, read whatever books she pleased, and eat whatever she pleased.

The main two things about her job that changed when Miss Kara Danvers arrived at Luthor Manor was that Jess didn’t need to tend to the fires in the library or study as often, and she no longer needed to aid Miss Luthor into her nightdress. Jess was not naïve, mind you. She read enough of some of the more salaciously scandalous books of Miss Luthor’s library to know _exactly_ what was going on behind closed doors whenever Miss Luthor and Miss Danvers were alone together. But Miss Luthor was good to her and all the staff at Luthor Manor, and Jess adored her for that, and so kept the other staff from the places where Kara and Miss Luthor tended to come together.

And so one day when a Miss Andrea Rojas invited herself to Luthor manor and cornered Jess in the drawing room while awaiting Lena’s arrival, then proceeded to demand the exact details of Miss Luthor’s relationship to “the American,” Jess had responded casually, “Miss Luthor likes to ride horses and Miss Danvers is an excellent horse trainer. The best in all of England, they say, yes they do. Trained prize-winning horses, she has. And Miss Luthor’s favorite horses, Ellie and Tempest? They love each other, never go anywhere without each other. And she can’t ride both horses at once, so she has to have someone to ride Tempest, who makes a terrible fuss but around Ellie. I like to say they’re soulmates, that Ellie and Tempest, those lovely horses. Fiery spirit, Tempest, and beautiful as anything you ever did see, Ellie.”

Miss Rojas looked sorry she asked.

So aside from the occasional gossip attempting to pry information from Jess, their secret remained blissfully safe, and sometimes, when she was in a mood, she wrote about them in her diary, for she thought their story was terribly romantic, after all. She never used their real names. In her diary she always referred to them as “The Lady and the Tempest.” And they all lived at Luthor Manor, happily thereafter.

**The End**

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed! It was my first attempt at a period piece. Not my favorite genre, but it was a fun one-shot to write. ^_^


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